Pasta Knives

Next up in my series on pasta tools: the humble pasta knife. Many pasta makers have a favorite one that they use to hand cut pasta sheets into ribbons. For wide noodles, I like to use an Italian Pino Extra that I bought from a knife dealer on eBay. This Pino boasts a wide, heavy 9.5-inch blade that makes cutting tagliatelle a breeze. The knife also works particularly well slicing thick udon noodles. 

When I want to cut a thinner noodle, I pull out my razor-sharp Carter nakiri knife. Although wide, the blade is super thin thus making the knife well-suited to cutting tagliolini.

Carter sells its knives on-line. Finding a vintage Pino pasta knife might take a little more of an effort, but, in my opinion, worth it.

Encyclopedia of Pasta in Paperback

Good news, everyone! In September of 2019, the University of California Press will publish a paperback version of the Encyclopedia of Pasta by Oretta Zanini De Vita and translated by Maureen B. Fant. This edition will retail for $26.95.

If you do not already own a hardback copy of this essential work, consider picking up a paperback edition at your local bookseller or at one of the many fine culinary bookstores in the US. On the East Coast, I like Kitchen Arts & Letters. I buy my cookbooks here on the Left Coast from Book Larder in Seattle.

Pasta Wheel

One of the first pasta tools I acquired was a pasta wheel (aka a pastry wheel). I now own a small collection of this essential tool. I use my favorite one all the time when sheeting pasta, cutting shapes (pappardelle and trenette) and when making stuffed pasta. I bought this dual wheel cutter at Antica Aguzzeria del Cavallo (here) during a pasta pilgrimage to Bologna. You can now buy these sturdy tools outside of Italy. Emiliomiti (here) sells a straight wheel, fluted wheel, dual cutter and even an adjustable quad cutter. These heavy-duty brass cutters will last a lifetime.